Fierceness winning the 2023 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) - Alex Evers/Eclipse Sportswire photo

Fierceness was named the Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Male of 2023 on Thursday night, Jan. 25, making it consecutive years that Ocala Stud training graduates have been crowned champion juvenile. Ocala Stud training grad Forte, owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, was honored as the 2022 Champion 2-Year-Old Male.

Owned and bred by Repole Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, Fierceness was voted Champion 2-Year-Old on the strength of his dominating victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) for trainer Todd Pletcher. After breaking his maiden by an eye-catching 11 ¼ lengths in his career debut at Saratoga last summer, he finished seventh as the odds-on favorite in the Champagne S. (G1) over a sloppy track. He bounced back in a big way in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, dominating his foes by 6 ¼ lengths.

A winner in two of his three lifetime starts, Fierceness has banked $1,102,750 thus far in his young career. The son of City of Light is preparing for his seasonal debut in the Holy Bull S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 3.

“Knock on wood. He’s done everything super this winter,” said Pletcher. “We’re excited getting him going again.”